Understand app privacy & security practices with Google Play's Data safety section

Before you install an app from Google Play, you can check the app's Data safety section. Developers use the Data safety section to share information about how their app handles your data. This way, you can make more informed decisions about what apps you use.

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Find an app’s data safety information

Google Play Data Safety Section

Open Google Play .
Browse or use the search bar to find an app.
Tap an app.
Under "Data safety," you’ll find a summary of the app’s data safety practices.
For more detail, tap See details.

Tip: The info in the Data safety section only applies to apps distributed on Google Play. You’ll only find the Data safety section on Android 5 and up.

Understand & review app data safety practices

The Data safety section of an app listing lets developers describe how their apps collect, share, and handle different types of data. Developers explain their practices for:

Data collection: Developers describe the types of user data their app collects, how they use this data, and whether the collection of this data is optional. Data is generally considered “collected” when the developer uses their app to retrieve data off your device.
- In some cases, developers do not need to disclose data as "collected" even if the data technically leaves your device (for example, when the data is only processed ephemerally). Learn more about these cases below.
Data sharing: Developers describe if their app shares your data with third parties and what types of data are shared. Data is generally considered "shared" when it is accessed by the app and transferred to a third party.
- In some cases, developers do not need to disclose data as "shared" even if it's technically transferred to another party (for example, when you give your consent to transfer the data after the app explains how it will use the data, or when the data is shared with a developer’s service provider). Learn more about these cases below.

Developers use Google Play’s Data safety section to describe the sum of their app’s data collection and sharing across all versions of the app distributed on Google Play. An app’s data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. Developers may use the “About this app” section of an app’s Google Play listing, the privacy policy, or other documentation to share app version-specific information with their users.

Understand data collection & data sharing

Data collection

Data sharing

Other information in the Data safety section

Security practices

Data deletion

Other app and data disclosures

Types of data & collection purposes covered in the Data safety section

The Data safety section explains the purpose for collecting and sharing specific types of data. Developers must use the same categories to explain these purposes so you can consistently compare multiple apps. The info should describe all versions and variations of the app.

Learn more about the data types and purposes included in the Data safety section.

Data types

Category	Data type	Description
Location	Approximate location	Yours or your device's physical location to an area greater than or equal to 3 square kilometers, such as the city you are in.
Location	Precise location	Yours or your device's physical location within an area less than 3 square kilometers.
Personal info	Name	How you refer to yourself, such as your first or last name, or nickname.
	Email address	Your email address.
	User IDs	Identifiers that relate to an identifiable person. For example, an account ID, account number, or account name.
	Address	Your address, such as a mailing or home address.
	Phone number	Your phone number.
	Race and ethnicity	Information about your race or ethnicity.
	Political or religious beliefs	Information about your political or religious beliefs.
	Sexual orientation	Information about your sexual orientation.
	Other info	Any other personal information such as date of birth, gender identity, veteran status, etc.
Financial info	User payment info	Information about your financial accounts, such as credit card number.
	Purchase history	Information about purchases or transactions you have made.
	Credit score	Information about your credit. For example, your credit history or credit score.
	Other financial info	Any other financial information, such as your salary or debts.
Health and fitness	Health info	Information about your health, such as medical records or symptoms.
Health and fitness	Fitness info	Information about your fitness, such as exercise or other physical activity.
Messages	Emails	Your emails, including the email subject line, sender, recipients, and the content of the email.
	SMS or MMS	Your text messages, including the sender, recipients, and the content of the message.
	Other in-app messages	Any other types of messages. For example, instant messages or chat content.
Photos and videos	Photos	Your photos.
Photos and videos	Videos	Your videos.
Audio files	Voice or sound recordings	Your voice, such as a voicemail or a sound recording.
	Music files	Your music files.
	Other audio files	Any other audio files you created or provided.
Files and docs	Files and docs	Your files or documents, or information about your files or documents, such as file names.
Calendar	Calendar events	Information from your calendar, such as events, event notes, and attendees.
Contacts	Contacts	Information about your contacts, such as contact names, message history, and social graph information like usernames, contact recency, contact frequency, interaction duration, and call history.
App activity	App interactions	Information about how you interact with the app. For example, the number of times you visit a page or sections you tap on.
	In-app search history	Information about what you have searched for in the app.
	Installed apps	Information about the apps installed on your device.
	Other user-generated content	Any other content you generated that is not listed here, or in any other section. For example, bios, notes, or open-ended responses.
	Other actions	Any other activity or actions in-app not listed here, such as gameplay, likes, and dialog options.
Web browsing	Web browsing history	Information about the websites you have visited.
App info and performance	Crash logs	Crash data from the app. For example, the number of times the app has crashed on the device or other information directly related to a crash.
	Diagnostics	Information about the performance of the app on the device. For example, battery life, loading time, latency, framerate, or any technical diagnostics.
	Other app performance data	Any other app performance data not listed here.
Device or other IDs	Device or other IDs	Identifiers that relate to an individual device, browser, or app. For example, an IMEI number, MAC address, Widevine Device ID, Firebase installation ID, or advertising identifier.

Data purposes

Data purposes	Description	Example
Account management	Used for the setup or management of your account with the developer.	For example, to let you: Create accounts, or add information to an account the developer provides for use across its services. Log in to the app, or verify your credentials.
Advertising or marketing	Used to display or target ads or marketing communications, or measuring ad performance.	For example, displaying ads in your app, sending push notifications to promote other products or services, or sharing data with advertising partners.
App functionality	Used for features that are available in the app.	For example, to enable app features, or authenticate you.
Analytics	Used to collect data about how you use the app or how it performs.	For example, to see how many users are using a particular feature, to monitor app health, to diagnose and fix bugs or crashes, or to make future performance improvements.
Developer communications	Used to send news or notifications about the app or the developer.	For example, sending a push notification to inform you about new features of the app or an important security update.
Fraud prevention, security, and compliance	Used for fraud prevention, security, or compliance with laws.	For example, monitoring failed login attempts to identify possible fraudulent activity.
Personalization	Used to customize your app, such as showing recommended content or suggestions.	For example, suggesting playlists based on your listening habits or delivering local news based on your location.

Control app permissions & data collection

Understand app permissions

Control app permissions & data collection after download

Google Play "Verified" badge for apps that handle sensitive user data

Important: The list of criteria isn’t exhaustive and doesn't fully represent all the criteria used to display the badge.

To highlight developers who are transparent about their security and user privacy practices in the Data safety section, Google Play introduces the "Verified" badge. When awarded, the new badge is prominently displayed on the app’s details page and in search results. Currently, this badge is only available for VPN apps. To be considered for the "Verified" badge, the app must meet certain criteria:

Follow Play safety and security guidelines.
Complete a Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) Level 2 validation.
Publish on Google Play for at least 90 days.
Achieve at least 10,000 installs and 250 reviews.
Have an Organization developer account type.
Meet target API level requirements for Google Play apps.
Submit Data safety section declaration, which includes declaring or opting into:
- Independent security review
- Encryption in transit

Related resources

Choose a section to give feedback on

Understand app privacy & security practices with Google Play's Data safety section

Find an app’s data safety information

Understand & review app data safety practices

Understand data collection & data sharing

Other information in the Data safety section

Account management

System services

Types of data & collection purposes covered in the Data safety section

Control app permissions & data collection

Google Play "Verified" badge for apps that handle sensitive user data

Related resources

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